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The summer holidays are upon us and we’ve got a fantastic selection of children’s books for you this month to fulfil all your summer reading requirements! Do keep an eye on the Mini Travellers twitter account for a chance to win copies of some of the books featured.
Picture Books
The Suitcase by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros (Nosy Crow)
When a strange animal arrives one day after a long journey, the other animals ask what’s in his suitcase. When the strange animal falls asleep, the others are tempted to check for themselves to see if he’s telling the truth… This is a moving story about refugees, kindness and friendship.
Ravi’s Roar by Tom Percival (Bloomsbury)
Ravi is the youngest, and the smallest, in his family. Most of the time he can control his temper when things don’t go his way, but sometimes, the tiger within him comes out instead! Tigers get to do anything they want, but Ravi soon learns that other people don’t always like tigers who won’t play nicely or share.
Hello, Horse by Vivian French and Catherine Rayner (Walker)
Join a little boy as he meets his first horse and learns all about them. Full of information and gorgeous illustrations, this gentle book is a fantastic introduction to horses.
5-8 years
All About Feelings by Felicity Brooks and Frankie Allen, illustrated by Mar Ferrero (Usborne)
All About Feelings is packed with illustrations and examples of different emotions, as well as crucially, ways to discuss and work through these emotions with your child. This is a fantastic tool to use when talking to your child about their feelings. I love that it normalises a wide range of emotions and provides a toolkit of strategies to help deal with feelings they may be struggling with.
The Loneliest Kitten by Holly Webb, illustrated by Sophy Williams (Stripes)
Emily is thrilled with her new kitten Charlie, but when Emily’s football team starts taking up all of her time, Charlie becomes a bit lonely and starts disappearing at night-time. A sweet story, perfect for animal lovers.
Nellie Choc-Ice is a slightly accident prone, but very adventurous penguin. On her latest trip she discovers a plastic island floating in the sea – can she rescue the albatross trapped in all the rubbish and find out a way to dismantle it so it doesn’t hurt anyone else? With illustrations throughout, this is perfect for emerging or struggling readers.
8-12 years
The Dragon In The Library by Louie Stowell illustrated by Davide Ortu (Nosy Crow)
When Kit’s friends Josh and Alita persuade her to go to the library on their holidays she expects it to be boring. Instead she discovers she has magical powers and finds a whole new world of possibilities. But when the library is threatened with closure, will Kit and her friends find a way to save it, and the world in time? A really entertaining read full of action, adventure and magic.
A Pocketful of Stars by Aisha Bushby (Egmont)
Shy Safiya loves gaming and struggles to fit in with the girls at school. She feels like she has nothing in common with her confident mum, but then her mum suddenly falls into a coma. At her bedside Safiya finds herself transported to a world that looks like one of her games with a very familiar main character… Exploring themes of friendship, family and identity, A Pocketful of Stars is a beautiful story full of hope and just a touch of magic.
The Dengineers: Build You Dream Den (Studio Press Books)
No matter the size you have available, this is the perfect book if you’d like to build an amazing den this summer. Packed full of information and advice from the designers on the hit CBBC programme The Dengineers, it has everything you need to know to create and personalise your own den.
Young Adult
All The Bad Apples by Moira Fowley-Doyle (Penguin)
After Deena’s sister Mandy commits suicide, Deena starts to receive letters from her. The letters lead Deena on a desperate trip around Ireland and into her family’s past. This is a compelling feminist story about secrets, lies and shame with just a hint of magic.
I Hold Your Heart by Karen Gregory (Bloomsbury)
When Gemma meets Aaron she falls completely and madly in love. But gradually their relationship starts to take priority over everything else in her life. A powerful story about control and manipulation.
The Demon World by Sally Green (Penguin)
The second book in the Smoke Thieves trilogy follows Princess Catherine as she leads a rag-tag band of survivors into the barren wastelands and into the demon world. With a complex heroine, romance and plenty of action, this is a great read for fans of fantasy and adventure.
Some books have been gifted by the Publishers but all views are my own.
Why not PIN this post about Mini Travellers Children’s Book Ideas for August 2019
1 - Join our Reviews and Recommendations Facebook Group here which includes lots of ideas for things to do - you can post your own recommendations too.
2 - Buy our debut novel for boys and girls ages 7-11 The Little Museum (an exciting adventure set in France)
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Thank you for your support as always.
Thank you for this! We’re in that funny stage where little one can now read and we’ve gone back to simple stories – looking forward to discovering some books with an actual plot again as he gets older!